Werissa
Werissa is a large country in the central region of the continent. To the north it shares land borders with Kairann, and Kailaraith, via the Ruptured Plains. To the south and west Werissa shares a border with Astirawen, Roend, and Wicaede, however all these borders require crossing the Barrier Peaks, and as such are of little practical value to most people. East of the Barrier Peaks, Werissa shares a border with Etelassa, and is seperated from Sevealia by the Sea of Nice to the east. Werissa comprises the entirety of the Werissan Plains, as well as the forested regions of the Barrier Peaks, and the Outlook Mountains. In the middle of Werissa lies the Soul Beacon, making it a centre for religious activity. History Governance Politics Werissa is a democratic theocracy, with it's head of state being the Lanaes, the leader of the organized religion surrounding the Revelation. Below the Lanaes is the senate, an organization of elected individuals representing the interests of each city, and it's surrounding villages. The senate is the forum by which laws are proposed, and approved via a vote. Should a law receive 60% of the senators support the law is passed. The Lanaes is unable to propose a law, nor are they able to vote in the senate, however they have the power to over-rule any vote made by the senate, and refuse to enact the new law. Without the Lanaes' support a law cannot pass. For this reason the Lanaes wields great political power, and can push new laws to be proposed, or laws that they favor to be voted on well, with the threat of blocking future laws available to them. The one thing the senate is not able to do is declare a war. The matter of war falls purely upon the Lanaes, though the Lanaes commonly consults with the senate. Regardless, any war declared by a Lanaes is considered a holy war, and treated as such. Culture Social Classes Werissan society is divided into three classes, Citizens, Residents, and Slaves. Citizenship is a difficult thing to obtain within Werissa, requiring that an applicant own land, have a recommendation from another citizen who is not blood related to the applicant, and has at least one parent being a citizen. If neither parent is a citizen this requirement can be replaced by five years of military service. Citizens are afforded unique rights, primarily a more lenient set of laws, the ability to vote, and the option to own slaves. Wealth levels among citizens vary greatly, largely based upon their profession, however they are all generally outstanding members of their professions. Additionally, only a citizen may apply for a position in the senate. Residents are the free members of Werissan society who are not citizens. A large portion of farm workers are residents, as are most other menial labourers, such as miners, and minor service providers. Residents are not necessarily poor, and a large number of them do own land, but for one reason or another are unable to become a citizen. Residents make up the largest portion of Werissan population, encompassing around 60% of the population. Residents are unable to run for senate, but are however capable of joining the religious order, and potentially becoming Lanaes. Slaves make up the final portion of the Werissan population, comprising approximately 30% of the population. They are the legal property of citizens of Werissa, and they possess very few legal rights, protected only from being murder and cruel and excessive punishment. The ownership of slaves is fairly lopsided, with most citizens owning only one or two slaves, and a rich few owning hundreds. Slaves owned by rich citizens are largely used for menial labour, farming, mining, and other labour intensive jobs, while slaves who belong to the poorer citizens are generally kept around the house as maids, cooks or assistants. While slaves are afforded few legal freedoms and rights, they are capable of being selected as Lanaes. If this happens they are immediately freed, and their owners reimbursed by the state. Gender Roles Gender roles in Werissa are very loosely defined, ultimately only effecting the government and military. Stereotypes however are very prevalent, with men believed to be level headed and logical, while women are seen as fiery, passionate and unreliable. For this reason only married men are allowed to run for senate. This is believed to result in the perfect leader, who is both calm and logical about decisions, but exposed regularly to the passion that is required to maintain the nation. Additionally, many high ranking religious officials are women, with the Lanaes always being a woman. This is because religion is considered a very personal matter, and that in order to lead it a person needs to be a true believer, with fire and passion for their god. The proper administration roles in the church are often filled by men however, as such worldly matters are best handled by a logical thinker. Additionally, the military is another place where gender roles come into play. The highest ranking generals are all men, and while women are allowed to join the army, and may become officers, they are strictly forbidden from being the Tresdin of a legion, let alone a battle. Some officers dislike having women in their unit, and as such there are many divisions of the legion made up purely of men, or women, depending on the preference of the leadership. Some legions are made purely of men as well, however due to the inability for them to take command, no legion is made purely of women. On very rare occurrences a legion is formed largely of women, typically as a favor to a female officer who has proven herself very competent, but is obviously unable to assume command. These legions are typically commanded by their second in charge, the woman who prompted the legion's formation, while the legion's Tresdin enjoys a rather luxurious and lazy post. Outside of the government men and women have no particular set position in society or the workforce, however the prevalence of the stereotypes result in men typically being hired for administration work far more regularly, while women make up a vast portion of the service industry, as their passion is regarded as more approachable than the cold logic of men. Exceptions to both rules exist, and are not rare instances, however they are certainly uncommon. Among family units the same general rule applies, with the women typically handling guests, and making friends for the family's benefit, while the man manages the accounts, the business if relevant, and the house. Demographics Races Werissa is a primarily human nation. It is unique for having the most varied human population, with ethnicity ranging from the darker skinned native Werissans to the light-skinned humans of the southern and forested nations. Towards the west the population shifts progressively less Werissan, with a higher concentration of conquered and displaced humans. Along the southern reaches of Werissa dwarves are a common sight, while around the Cymi Bay elves are more common. Great Animals are littered throughout the nation, their population is largely composed of animals suited to plains, and the deer population is higher here than anywhere else. Economy Due to it's multiculturalism Werissa has a vast array of skill sets and knowledges integrated into it. As a result, they founded the Werissan Bank, the first banking institution on the continent. In doing so they cemented their currency, the Werissan Golden Plain, commonly known as just a Plain, as the central currency for the world, by which all currencies are measured. It's value is directly tied to the gold which it contains, and as such is the most stable form of currency. The economy of Werissa depends heavily on it's agricultural industry. Werissa is the sole producer of corn on the continent, and as such it over-produces it to export in large quantities to all it's neighbours. It also over-produces tobacco as it's secondary export. The agricultural industry of Werissa produces the vast majority of the food, and skins that Werissa needs, leaving them largely self-sufficient for food products. Outside of agriculture Werissa is strongly dependent on mining the barrier peaks to the south, making use of the quarries and iron and gold mines within the mountains to sustain their economy. Most of the wood in the plains of Werissa is imported from Etelassa, while the western sections take their wood from the Barrier Peaks. Military Organisation The Werissan military is a highly organized professional force. It's comprised of legions of 1000 soldiers, not including the 30 officers, one of which is the Tresdin, the leader of their legion. Each legion carries with it the required supplies and each member of the legion is trained to act as support staff for travelling and camps. In a battle each legion is split into ten divisions. comprised of 100 warriors each, sorted by their speciality and equipment. A typical army comprises of a minimum of two legions, and as many as 20 legions. The number of active legions varies depending on the current demand, as well as the wealth available to sustain them. Typically every city maintains a minimum of three legions, and the capital is known to maintain ten legions at it's worst economic state, and has during a boom maintained as many as 23 legions. While a division of a legion may possess any skill and use any equipment the Tresdin desires, there are a number of commonly used formations. The most common division is called the "Core". It's comprised of heavily armoured warriors, wielding swords and spears behind tower shields. They serve as the backbone of the melee fighting, and are used to hold the centre of the armies formation, as well as protecting valuable assets to the army. The second most common division is the "Rear". The Rear is comprised of lightly armoured warriors who are skilled in archery. They are armed with longbows, and provide long-range fire on the enemy army, aiming to thin out any poorly protected units, or apply pressure to units that are heavily armoured. The Rear rarely sees melee combat, however they are trained in it in case of the core being breached by a force that has suffered intense losses. A related unit is the "Skirmish", and typically a successful Rear that survives a melee will be transitioned to a Skirmish. The Skirmish is armed with short bows in addition to their longbows, as well as Boots of Striding and Springing. They are positioned on the flanks of an army, and serve a similar purpose to the Rear initially, however are trained to spread out as the opponent approaches, and use the short bows to engage in a short-range fight, making use of their magically granted speed to outmanoeuvre the enemy. The Skirmish has met with mixed success, proving very successful against rigid formation fighters, while proving less effective against well-armoured foes who favour solo combat. The most debated division is the "Flank". The Flank is the only use of horses in open confrontation. Both the horses and the warriors are heavily armoured, wielding lances and large shields. The purpose of the Flank is to sit off to a side of the Core, leaving enough distance for the enemy to fit between the Core and Flank, and potentially wrap around the side of the Core during the battle. When the Core engages in a melee, the Flank springs into action, charging into the flank of the enemy army, easily decimating the unprepared infantry forces. The Flank is the cause of debate due to some generals belief that cavalry is unreliable, as well as their inefficiency against enemy cavalry charges, and the problem posed when the enemy moves to engage the Flank first, forcing them to either engage alone, or give up their position, weakening the formation. A related, and far rarer division is the "Iron Side". The Iron Side is made up of heavily armoured Pentaceratops. The Iron Side division does not typically keep a Pentaceratops for each member, ranging between 20 and 50 Pentaceratops each. A portion of the men remain mounted on the Pentaceratops, while the others stand guard among the formation, covering the sides and rear of the animals in melee. The Iron Side serves the reverse purpose of the Flank. It sits tightly on the side of the Core, and the Pentraceratops are trained to below and stomp before combat, attempting to dissuade enemy troops from attacking. Any enemies who do attempt to attack are typically trampled under foot, or gored on the reinforced horns. The final commonly used unit is the "Spine". The Spine is present in almost every successful legion, and is commonly situated in the very centre of the formation, protected by the core. It is from the Spine that most Tresdin lead the battle. The Spine is comprised primarily of minor wizards, capable of a few standardized spells, as well as a few particularly skilled wizards who's job is to counteract the actions of rival wizards, as well as provide carefully placed spells to redirect the flow of the battle when possible. Many armies include a unit that is trained to work in precision with wizards. The most common of these divisions is the "Titan." The Titan trains in combat under the effects of an Enlarge Person spell, in combating both regular sized foes, as well as equally large enemies. The Titan typically forms the very centre of the army, and a good Titan unit can win an entire battle for a Legion. Category:Nation Category:Old Setting